Accused in mill fire continue to roam free

Nine months after identifying nine accused in Gold Mohur Mill fire, Bhoiwada police's petition challenging their bail is pending in court

Accused in mill fire continue to roam free

Nine months after identifying nine accused in Gold Mohur Mill fire, Bhoiwada police's petition challenging their bail is pending in court

CLOSE to a year and a half after the 7,000-sq m Gold Mohur Mill at Dadar was consumed in a massive blaze and the sabotage angle was subsequently established, the Bhoiwada police are still to get custody of the nine accused.

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In May, MiD DAY had reported that the police had identified nine accused in the case and had exposed their modus operandi ('These nine men behind mill fire', May 6, 2010).

Now, nine months after the accused were identified, the Bhoiwada police's petition before the Bombay High Court challenging the accused's anticipatory bail by the Sewree Sessions court is pending.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Sanjay Bhaviskar said, "We challenged the anticipatory bail granted by the Sessions Court in Bombay High Court and the matter is still pending. Custodial interrogation of the suspects is needed to unearth the conspiracy and nail those behind the crime."

Senior Police Inspector Vikram Patil of Bhoiwada police station said, "This is one of the rare fire cases where the sabotage angle could be established and we have sufficient evidence against those arrested. We challenged the anticipatory bail petition and are yet to file a chargesheet in the case."

Mill vs Garib Nagar

Chief Fire Officer Uday Tatkare told MiD DAY that it was easy for them to establish that the fire at Gold Mohur mill was sabotage as they had strong eyewitnesses, who had raised the sabotage angle from the very beginning.

"In any fire investigation, eyewitnesses play a very important role and if all the witnesses' version of events are corroborated, it gives a better direction to the probe.
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Circumstantial evidence like way the fire spread and whether it started at one point or at different points are important clues for investigating the case. Finally, the forensic exam confirms or dismisses the suspicion based on the presence of residues."

"In case of Garib Nagar, every hutment has kerosene and LPG cylinders and forensic findings will be confirming this. But so far, in the four days of preliminary investigation, we have not come across any strong evidence that hints to sabotage. The investigation is on and we still probing the case from all angles," he added.

Gold Mohur mill fire

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